The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

Slamfire · December 31, 2013, 05:41 PM

Half of all the surplus IMR 4895 I bought went bad. The reason is, it was tested and rejected by Army Ammunition specialists as being too old to keep. You must assume that all pull down powders were at the end of their shelf lives.

Gunpowder stored in bulk is the greatest risk of autocombustion. If you look at this Army document, you will find a comment about gunpowder being safe in the case but unsafe once taken out of the case and mixed in bulk. This is the "five inch rule" that I mentioned earlier.

Field-Portable Propellant Stability Test Equipment
http://www.almc.army.mil/alog/issues...t_stab_eq.html

For those who have bought surplus powders, use the stuff up. Use it soon, don’t sit on it and expect it to last forever. Those powders are already 20 to 50 years old.

December 31, 2013, 05:41 PM	#31
Slamfire Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 5,261	Half of all the surplus IMR 4895 I bought went bad. The reason is, it was tested and rejected by Army Ammunition specialists as being too old to keep. You must assume that all pull down powders were at the end of their shelf lives. Gunpowder stored in bulk is the greatest risk of autocombustion. If you look at this Army document, you will find a comment about gunpowder being safe in the case but unsafe once taken out of the case and mixed in bulk. This is the "five inch rule" that I mentioned earlier. Field-Portable Propellant Stability Test Equipment http://www.almc.army.mil/alog/issues...t_stab_eq.html For those who have bought surplus powders, use the stuff up. Use it soon, don’t sit on it and expect it to last forever. Those powders are already 20 to 50 years old. __________________ If I'm not shooting, I'm reloading.